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Income-tax Act, 1961 · Chapter IV: Computation of Total Income · D.—Profits and gains of business or profession

Section 43B: Certain deductions to be only on actual payment

The Income-tax Act, 1961 was repealed by the Income-tax Act, 2025 from 1 April 2026. The text is kept here because the judgments below apply it.

In plain words

Certain deductions are allowed only in the year the sum is actually paid, regardless of the accounting method used.

  • This covers taxes, duties, cess and fees, employer contributions to welfare funds, bonus or commission to employees, interest to financial institutions and banks, leave encashment, and payments to Indian Railways.
  • A sum paid by the due date for filing the return for that year is allowed in the year the liability arose.
  • Interest converted into a new loan is not treated as actually paid.
  • The section stops deductions for liabilities that are merely provided for in the books but not paid.

A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.

Official text

Notwithstanding anything contained in any other provision of this Act, a deduction otherwise allowable under this Act in respect of— [(a) any sum payable by the assessee by way of tax, duty, cess or fee, by whatever name called, under any law for the time being in force, or]

(b) any sum payable by the assessee as an employer by way of contribution to any provident fund or superannuation fund or gratuity fund or any other fund for the welfare of employees, [or] [(c) any sum referred to in clause (ii) of sub-section (1) of section 36,] [or] [(d) any sum payable by the assessee as interest on any loan or borrowing from any public financial institution5[or a State financial corporation or a State industrial investment corporation], in accordance with the terms and conditions of the agreement [governing such loan or borrowing; or] [(e) any sum payable by the assessee as interest on any [loan or advances] from a scheduled bank [or a co-operative bank other than a primary agricultural credit society or a primary co-operative agricultural and rural development bank] in accordance with the terms and conditions of the agreement governing [such loan or advances], [or] [(f) any sum payable by the assessee as an employer in lieu of any leave at the credit of his [employee, or]] [(g) any sum payable by the assessee to the Indian Railways for the use of railway assets,]

shall be allowed (irrespective of the previous year in which the liability to pay such sum was incurred by the assessee according to the method of accounting regularly employed by him) only in computing the income referred to in section 28 of that previous year in which such sum is actually paid by him: [Provided that nothing contained in this section shall apply in relation to any sum *** which is actually paid by the assessee on or before the due date applicable in his case for furnishing the return of income under sub-section (1) of section 139 in respect of the previous year in whichthe liability to pay such sum was incurred as aforesaid and the evidence of such payment is furnished by the assessee along with such return. * * * * *]

Explanation [1].—For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that where a deduction in respect of any sum referred to in clause (a) or clause (b) of this section is allowed in computing the income referred to in section 28 of the previous year (being a previous year relevant to the assessment year commencing on the 1st day of April, 1983, or any earlier assessment year) in which the liability to pay such sum was incurred by the assessee, the assessee shall not be entitled to any deduction under this section in respect of such sum in computing the income of the previous year in which the sum is actually paid by him:] [Explanation 2.—For the purposes of clause (a), as in force at all material times, —any sum payable‖ means a sum for which the assessee incurred liability in the previous year even though such sum might not have been payable within that year under the relevant law.] [Explanation7[3].—For the removal of doubts it is hereby declared that where a deduction in respect of any sum referred to in clause (c)[or clause (d)] of this section is allowed in computing the income referred to in section 28 of the previous year (being a previous year relevant to the assessment year commencing on the 1st day of April, 1988, or any earlier assessment year) in which the liability to pay such sum was incurred by the assessee, the assessee shall not be entitled to any deduction under this section in respect of such sum in computing the income of the previous year in which the sum is actually paid by him.] [Explanation 3A.—For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that where a deduction in respect of any sum referred to in clause (e) of this section is allowed in computing the income referred to in section 28 of the previous year (being a previous year relevant to the assessment year commencing on the 1st day of April, 1996, or any earlier assessment year) in which the liability to pay such sum was incurred by the assessee, the assessee shall not be entitled to any deduction under this section in respect of such sum in computing the income of the previous year in which the sum is actually paid by him.] [Explanation 3B.—For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that where a deduction in respect of any sum referred to in clause (f) of this section is allowed in computing the income, referred to in section 28, of the previous year (being a previous year relevant to the assessment year commencing on the 1st day of April, 2001, or any earlier assessment year) in which the liability to pay such sum was incurred by the assessee, the assessee shall not be entitled to any deduction under this section in respect of such sum in computing the income of the previous year in which the sum is actually paid by him.]

[Explanation 3C.—For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that a deduction of any sum, being interest payable under clause (d) of this section, shall be allowed if such interest has been actually paid and any interest referred to in that clause which has been converted into a loan or borrowing shall not be deemed to have been actually paid.] [Explanation 3D.—For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that a deduction of any sum, being interest payable under clause (e) of this section, shall be allowed if such interest has been actually paid and any interest referred to in that clause which has been converted into a loan or advance shall not be deemed to have been actually paid.] [Explanation 4.—For the purposes of this section,—

(a) —public financial institutions‖ shall have the meaning assigned to it in section 4A of the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956); [(aa) —scheduled bank‖ shall have the meaning assigned to it in the Explanation to clause (iii) of sub-section (5) of section 11;]

(b) —State financial corporation‖ means a financial corporation established under section 3 or section 3A or an institution notified under section 46 of the State Financial Corporations Act, 1951 (63 of 1951);

(c) —State industrial investment corporation‖ means a Government company within the meaning of section 617 of the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956), engaged in the business of providing long-term finance for industrial projects and [eligible for deduction under clause (viii) of sub-section (1) ofsection 36].] [(d) —co-operative bank‖, primary agricultural credit society‖ and —primary co-operative agricultural and rural development bank‖ shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in the

Explanation to sub-section (4) of section 80P.]

Source: India Code (Legislative Department), the text of the Act as it stood before its repeal. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.

Supreme Court judgments citing the section 43B